


and i (think that i might claim you as mine.)

by johnthecraptist



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Wolves, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Winwin, I'll change rating and tags as the story goes, LMAO, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Motherly Jaehyun, Mpreg, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Past Abuse, Threesome - M/M/M, he'll get better don't worry, just a whole lot of shit i made up !, kun and winwin are chinese bros, of course tenny on the side, ty is kind of a dick at first :(, who can resist the charm that is winwin, with jisung as their son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-07-22 13:35:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7441189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnthecraptist/pseuds/johnthecraptist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But really, they couldn't have expected Jaehyun to leave that sad little thing of an omega out in the biting cold.</p><p>(Or in which Jaehyun finds Winwin all alone one freezing night and decides to take him home to his pack.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello !
> 
> i wrote this fic bc i love taewin and jaewin a lot and i love jaewinyong even more but there is 0 fanfic about them and i also love abo fics soooo
> 
> the pack/family dynamics will be shown throughout the story, i really hope y'all like it :)
> 
> here's the first chapter, happy reading !!
> 
> (beta'd by my loves viv and nkai. title from you, mister by lana del rey)

But really, they couldn't have expected Jaehyun to leave that sad little thing of an omega out in the biting cold.

Both of Jaehyun's hands had been holding full bags when he exited the small grocery shop. His feet were carrying him to his car in a rush, as the sun had already set and his phone was currently a dead hunk of metal weighing down his pocket. Soon Jaehyun himself would not be in too different a state. No matter how tough the alpha acted, Taeyong was a worrywart and hated for anyone to go out without him or at least Johnny when it was late. Jaehyun had managed to reassure him that the drive into town and back for the next day's dinner ingredients would be an hour at most, and that he would call him if he needed anything. 

That was before he had seen the little old lady with the bad knees and sweet eyes who sold cakes all by herself on the side of the road every Wednesday, and Jaehyun couldn't just drive past her, right? A couple seconds to buy a slice of cake certainly wouldn't _kill_ him.

20 minutes later he had a cake and a half in his backseat and a speedometer pushing 60, trying to get to the store before it closed without doing anything too illegal. When he pulled out his phone to confirm with the others that he was alright, just a little bit behind schedule, he was met with a black screen that seemed to be mocking him every time it flashed _0%._

As Jaehyun finally walked out of the store and was met when a dark sky, he began to mentally prepare himself for the inevitable scolding that would come to him as soon as he got home.

 _Fucking Taeyong hyung and his complex. I'm 22 years old, I think I can manage a trip to the store,_ he thought with a huff while he placed his bags in the passenger seat. As he closed the door and began to walk over to the driver's side, he mustered forth the most ridiculous Taeyong-y voice he could manage (which Jaehyun would like to say was beyond accurate, as it never failed to make the boys double over in laughter.)

"Jaehyun-ah, now you know that I'm very busy with my shitload of made up duties and dyeing my roots every other day and the chronic _stick up my-_ "

A loud cough surprised Jaehyun enough to make him freeze with his grip on the car door handle. It sounded much too wheezy to not be caused by sickness, most likely from the cold. Naturally Jaehyun was two parts curious, several parts concerned, so he did what was most expectant from his empathetic nature: he followed the sad sound. Taeyong and the others never failed to remind him that his strong concern for literally any living thing made him an easy target for anyone who preyed off of other's sympathies, so Jaehyun sent up a quick prayer that they would not be proven right today. He was led to the side of the building to the right of the front entrance, and peeked around the corner slowly. His heart ached while he took in the sight before him.

A thin and haggard boy sat there against the wall. He could not have been older than seventeen, and was shivering heavily as the snowflakes fell down around him. Dressed in only a dingy red windbreaker, thin jeans, and worn out sneakers with a sorry excuse for a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. With one inhale Jaehyun could smell dirt, fear, and a faint cloying scent that made him want to take the boy up in his arms and warm him up and feed him and give him all the medicine that he needed to rid him of that nasty cough. He was surprised he was only smelling it now, the scent that was purely _omega_ , and that it was as faint as it was. Even so, he was glad he had found him before some alpha, who probably would not have as pure intentions as an upstanding citizen and beta like Jaehyun.

The boy looked over in Jaehyun's direction, making the older quickly pull his head back around the corner. And _fuck,_ he knew he couldn't leave him now. Despite his current condition, his eyes were bright and so innocent and they practically screamed at Jaehyun to take him home like those puppies on the commercials that Johnny had warned him and Ten to stop signing their house up for donations to (but how could they stop when Ten had seen a pug on one that resembled Yuta so much they couldn't just ignore it!) In short, he was cute, ridiculously so. Saying Jaehyun had a soft spot for cute things was an understatement. It was more like his resolve was turned into complete mush in the presence of anything he found adorable. Jisung and his countless cookies that Jaehyun had sneaked to him could vouch for that.

"H-Hello?" the omega called. "Excuse me?"

The way the words rolled off his tongue were not natural, not comfortable like they were for Jaehyun, or Taeyong or Hansol, or for any of the young boys who were by now no doubt tucked away in bed. They formed like they did in Ten's mouth, or more accurately so in Kun's mouth who, despite having made great progress, still sometimes stumbled over piecing together correct sentences of Korean. This boy was probably even worst off, and he was cold and alone and it was getting late. It wouldn't hurt just to check and make sure that someone was coming for him, right?

Jaehyun closed his eyes and sighed, debating one last time with himself. When he opened them, he took a breath and stepped his way out of where he hid, waving at the boy. When the omega caught sight of him, his eyes widened, startled. He sniffed the air, and after a moment he slowly threw up a hand in response. Jaehyun offered a bright smile at this and watched as some of the tension visibly left the boy's shoulders.

"Hello, is everything alright?" Jaehyun asked, not really sure if he should expect a response. "Why are you out here in the cold alone?"

When no reply came he approached him slowly. Should he hold his hand out? Or was that something you did for dogs? Wolves, dogs, practically the same thing. He decided on keeping a couple meters in front of him. He tried his best to make himself seem as not hostile as possible, which wasn't very hard when his most notable features were the dimples that diminished any visibility of malice in his face, that Jaemin loved to poke at while Jaehyun tickled him breathless. 

"I'm Jaehyun. What's your name?" This question was much easier to answer than his previous ones, and probably simpler for a non-native speaker to understand. The boy looked up and Jaehyun was taken aback by how _pretty_ he was.

"W-Winwin. My name is Winwin." The deep tone of his voice was surprising to say the least. Jaehyun smiled at him and Winwin gave a hesitant one in return. Jaehyun felt the overwhelming need to keep that expression there as long as he possibly could. He noticed the boy's chattering teeth and shivering shoulders. It was killing him to watch this poor kid freeze right front in front of him. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and placed a gentle hand on the cheek of the omega. His skin was ice cold, which was saying something considering Jaehyun had come out with no gloves that evening. Winwin's eyes widened at the touch but when Jaehyun began to stroke his thumb along his cheekbone, he immediately relaxed, even leaning into the hand as his eyes fluttered shut. Jaehyun's heart clenched.

"I bet you're freezing out here, huh Winwin?" 

The boy looked up, confusion clear in his eyes. Jaehyun wracked his brain for any Mandarin he had picked up from Kun.

"Cold?" he asked in Chinese, his tones no doubt a mess, rubbing at his arms and making a shivering motion for emphasis. Recognition flashed across Winwin's face and he nodded quickly.

"How about you come to my-" he pointed to himself "-house?" he asked, gesturing toward his car. Jaehyun was trying English now, since he sure as hell didn't know enough Chinese to get them very far.

Winwin seemed to understand this better as his gaze drifted from the direction of Jaehyun's car to the man himself. He observed Jaehyun for a moment longer than the older liked, making him begin to regret his forwardness. 

"Is there somewhere I can take you? Your mom or your dad-"

"No! No mom and dad."

Jaehyun was caught off guard by his outburst. So his parents were clearly not in the picture at the moment. If they were dead or just not around, he didn't know and didn't think he should ask. Jaehyun wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to take Winwin to his parents anyway. His gut was telling him something was off about the whole situation. _What sort of matters would keep a kid omega from wanting to go back to the safety of their parents?_

"Okay no mom and dad for now," Jaehyun promised, putting his hands up in defense. "Then where would you like me to take you? I'm not leaving you out here to freeze."

Winwin considered him for a moment.

"I have cake. It's in the backseat."

The boys jaw dropped momentarily, then he began to nod vigorously.

"Go with you, please."

Jaehyun smiled. Even if he could already hear the others nagging at him in his head, he had a feeling he wouldn't regret this decision.


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun was beginning to regret his decision. 
> 
> It didn't take more than 11 minutes into their drive back home for Jaehyun to recognize Winwin for what the boy truly was: a huge ball of energy stuffed inside an adorable shell.

Jaehyun was beginning to regret his decision. 

It didn't take more than 11 minutes into their drive back home for Jaehyun to recognize Winwin for what the boy truly was: a huge ball of energy stuffed inside an adorable shell.

In that time the boy had managed to figure out by himself how the heating worked, change the station a good twenty three times, punch Jaehyun in the shoulder-- _note to self: don't let the skinny legs fool you, he can punch you so hard you feel literally each individual capillary under your skin bust_ \--after seeing a blue Volkswagen Beetle, and had devoured about the whole half of carrot cake.

Jaehyun prided himself in his patience. How could he not, he spent school vacations and weekends watching two hormonal preteen boys, two third graders and a four year old. Patience was his key virtue. So despite the crumbs and spot of rubbed in cream cheese frosting that decorated his passenger seat, Jaehyun refrained from snapping at Winwin. The boy was probably just happy to be out of the cold and around someone. Besides, it wasn't like he was loud since he didn't talk very much, only answering Jaehyun's questions with a mix of broken English and even more broken Korean. He avoided asking any personal questions, as not to upset the boy too much and make him regret taking Jaehyun's offer. Not once did Winwin initiate conversation with Jaehyun their whole 30 minute drive home. He made his presence so hard to ignore only through actions, but even that came to a stop as they pulled up to the house and started up the long driveway. He looked over to see the omega watching with wide eyes as the house appeared in front of them.

"I promise, it's not as scary looking inside."

It's not like Jaehyun could blame him. The house (or the large Victorian style home, as the realtor had called it years back), sat at the top of a half a mile long driveway. It was grey with dark roofing and white detailing around the windows and doors, which Ten had always complained made it look like something out of a horror film every time they pulled up in front of it late at night. It was big, yes, but with a pack like theirs it was still easy to feel cramped despite the many rooms. 

As Jaehyun parked in his chosen spot next to Yuta's car, he turned to Winwin.

"Don't be worried, okay? There's a lot of people here but they're all probably asleep by now. I'll get you settled in for bed and then we can meet everyone later."

Winwin made no sign of understanding, instead looking into his lap and playing with his fingers. Jaehyun sighed, got out the car, walked over to Winwin's side and opened the door.

"Come on, it'll be fine," he assured.

Winwin was hesitant for a moment, studying Jaehyun's face, searching for what, the older didn't know. Maybe a sign that he was lying? That he wasn't to be trusted? He must not have found anything too worrying because he finally he got out of the car and followed Jaehyun to the front door, carrying the single cake that had been spared from his attack.

He didn't even have one foot in before he heard someone call, _"Well would you look what the cat dragged in!"_ as two people ran up, startling him enough to throw his keys in self defense and shout. 

"Watch where you swing those!" 

Jaehyun groaned at the sound of Hansol's voice. He took in the sight of the older beta along with Ten who stood before him.

"You scared the shit out of me! I could've knocked your asses out without even knowing!" 

Ten scoffed. "That's funny Jae, coming from the guy who can't even ground Mark no matter how many times he talks back."

Jaehyun rolled his eyes and walked into the house, hanging up his coat on the hook with his name scrawled above it in an 8 year old's handwriting. He began to unloop the scarf from around his neck.

"Sorry I'm late. My phone died so I couldn't call. How pissed is hyung? God, he's probably never going to let me go out again. He's always so strict, like, _I'm 21_ hyung, I can take care of myself, right?"

He kicked off his boots, and sit them up straight below where his coat hang.

_"Right?"_

He turned to see Ten and Hansol, staring with similar surprised expressions on their face, looking at the doorway. He followed their gaze to see a wide-eyed Winwin, gripping the boxed up cake tightly. And shit, Jaehyun could have slapped himself.

"Jaehyun-ah, who is this?" Hansol asked, turning to face Jaehyun with an expectant expression on his face. Ten followed suit with a raised eyebrow and his hands on his hips. They were wearing the same kind of looks they put on when asking the kids _"which one of you drew on the wall?"_ or the adults _"who used the last trash bag and didn't put them on the grocery list?"_

"That's uh- That's Winwin." 

They both turned back to look at the boy. He pulled an attempt at a smile onto his face, but fear and uneasiness exuded from his scent in waves. Ten sniffed the air and a look of realization passed over his face before a scowl quickly replaced it. There was no doubt in Jaehyun's mind that Ten had just caught scent of Winwin's rank. The older's arms crossed over his chest and he cocked his hip out. This what was known in the house as Ten's Iconic Attitude Stance™. It was super effective on its victims (usually Johnny), and Jaehyun wasn't sure if he should be frightened or honored to be on the receiving end of it for the first time. 

"So why'd you bring an omega home?" He asked, his tone making it sound more like he was accusing Jaehyun of something rather than asking. "Got sick of the lonely life? When's the last time someone got in your pants, huh? I do have to say though, he looks awfully young... and to think we covered for you, that we lied to our dear old Alpha that you had texted us you were on your way home."

"What? Hyung no that's-"

"-To think we had told him to go to bed, that we'd wait up for you! But no, you brought some cute little play thing for a quickie! Back to _our_ house, our sacred abode, where _my child_ sleeps at night! There is no fornication of any kind in the same house our kids eat and play!"

"Listen to me-"

"-Okay well that's not entirely true, since Jisung is walking proof that fornication happens here. But you get my point! Not any of this-" he gestured at Winwin "-type of fornication here!

"Ten if you'll just hold on-"

"I'm not so sure Taeyong would like to hear that the reason you came so late was because you were picking up an omega to bring home and _fuck,_ right Hansol?"

"Right!" The blonde agreed with a firm nod, staring down Jaehyun.

" _Guys!_ Winwin is not some random omega i brought home to have sex with! Well at least not the sex part... I found him outside of the store in the freezing cold, and he's clearly sick," he explained. "Was I supposed to leave some kid omega out there?"

Ten realized his mistake and put a hand to his mouth. Hansol's eyes turned to the boy who was still standing confused at the doorway.

"You mean he was all alone?" he asked. Jaehyun nodded.

"I told him he could stay here until we worked some things out." 

Ten's eyes were teary as he looked at the boy. Jaehyun swore the older's personality could go from one end of the spectrum to the other so fast that everyone in the house was in serious danger of whiplash. 

"Of course he can stay here! Poor little thing," he cooed, running up to Winwin, Hansol following. Despite being much shorter, he pet his hair while the two embraced him. Winwin seemed surprised but unbothered it, even smiling as he continued to hold the box of cake in his hands. 

"From one omega to another, don't worry, we'll take care of you, okay?" Ten asked, pulling away to look at the boy, who just looked back, blinking.

"He doesn't speak much Korean. I'm pretty sure he's Chinese," Jaehyun told them. 

"Oh, then we have to get Kun!" Hansol insisted, ready to go to fetch the beta.

"No, don't. I'm sure he's asleep by now just like everyone else," Jaehyun said, shaking his head. "And I don't want Taeyong hyung to know about him yet."

"Jaehyun-"

"I know, I know, but you guys know how he feels about strangers. He wouldn't be very happy to know some random wolf was in our house and I don't want him to kick Winwin out." 

Ten scoffed. "You don't really think he'd just kick some kid omega out into the streets, do you?" he asked. Jaehyun shrugged in reply. Taeyong was very protective of omegas, just like any other alpha, always defending ones he saw getting harassed in public or even willing to give wolves who looked at Ten longer that he deemed acceptable a piece of his mind (that is, when Johnny wasn't there to do it himself.) But above all he cared about the pack, making him wary and untrusting toward strangers, no matter their rank.

"I'm not sure and I'm not willing to risk it to find out. So I need you guys to be quiet, just until I figure out what's up and what to do with him, okay? Promise?"

Both of them sighed but nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, we promise."

"I guess, even though I don't like this."

Jaehyun released a breath in relief. "Thank you guys. Hansol hyung, I'll help you clean the bathroom, and Ten hyung, I'll watch Jisung for a whole month, free of charge."

Hansol snorted. "Yeah right."

"And since when has Johnny or me ever paid you to watch Jisung?"

"So, tomorrow's Friday right?" Jaehyun asked in an effort to change the subject. "That means everyone leaves for work early except Kun hyung," he walked over to the calendar to confirm, "and he leaves at noon."

"And what does that mean?"

"That, my friend, means that I will have 4 hours to get to sit down with Winwin and our very own personal translator. Then I can figure out what happened and what we should do with him."

All three men turned to look at the boy, who's was surprised to see all the attention back on him. He held out the box in his hands as offering.

"Cake?"

•••

"You just have to sleep in my room until we figure things out, Winwin."

Jaehyun had given the boy some clothes to wear to bed and a spare toothbrush. He had also given him a spoonful of cherry cough medicine that Winwin had taken without much complaint aside from a grimace. As much as he wanted to let the boy go take a long hot shower after spending so much time in the cold, it was too risky. Something--Jaehyun thought it was most likely a scent blocker that hadn't been applied for awhile--was covering up his omega smell enough that it wasn't noticeable unless one was searching for it. A shower would most definitely make his scent visible however, and Taeyong would find out which was the last thing Jaehyun wanted to deal with. 

"Tomorrow morning, I need you to not leave the room until I tell you it's okay, alright?"

Despite probably not understanding the majority of what the beta said, the boy nodded. He was tucked into Jaehyun's warm queen sized bed, peeking out from above the thick covers. Jaehyun could feel his heart melt at the sight.

"Great! Now goodnight." Jaehyun crawled on top of the blanket and pillow he had laid out on the floor.

Just as he was making himself comfortable, he heard Winwin's voice.

"Bed?"

"Yeah, you can sleep in the bed," Jaehyun reassured.

"No. You sleep in bed." 

"You want to sleep on the floor? It's not very comfortable."

"No. You and me sleep in bed."

Oh. Well then.

To say Jaehyun was surprised was an understatement. Him and the omega had just met, and he wanted Jaehyun to _sleep with him?_ It's not that the idea bothered him, as the natural beta need to take tender care of the omega was still itching at him under his skin. He had chosen to sleep on the floor for Winwin's comfort. Jaehyun sat up and flicked on his bedside table lamp. Winwin was sitting up, looking at him.

"You want me to sleep in the bed too?"

The boy lifted the blanket and patted the spot next to him. He nodded once, before his eyebrows scrunched together in one of the most adorable concentrated faces Jaehyun had ever seen. The boy seemed to be searching for the right words to say.

"Safe."

Jaehyun watched the boy for a minute more before he got up approached the bed. He slipped under the covers, but kept to the far end, away from Winwin. 

He turned and faced the omega, who he found looking back at him. What Jaehyun saw broke his heart.

He saw a boy who was scared. And who had been hurt so bad and who thought he was all alone. It was a harsh reminder that Winwin was not just the energetic kid he had shown himself to be, but that he was clearly running away from something. Whether that was a person or a past, Jaehyun didn't know. Tears were welling up in his eyes and he was looking at Jaehyun as if, despite barely having a solid conversation with him, he was the one person he could trust in the world and it made it almost hard for the beta to breathe. But more than anything, it made him want to be that person, be someone for the boy to trust, to be someone to take care of him. 

So Jaehyun turned off the lamp and pulled the omega to his chest, despite the smell of dirt still being present on his skin. His response was immediate, tangling his fingers into the older's shirt as he quietly sobbed. Jaehyun shushed him, rubbing his back and placing a soft kiss in his coffee-colored hair. 

"It's okay, Winwin, I'll help you get through this."

He sure as hell hoped that he would prove himself right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awww, who doesn't like some fluff to end a chapter haha
> 
> hope you guys liked this, i had fun writing ten and hansol ! don't worry, the next chapter will bring in the others. i'll try to update tomorrow or the day after.
> 
> i love kudos and comments xx


	3. chapter 3

Jaehyun was making a desperate attempt to drown his worries in pancake syrup.

Currently he was sitting at the breakfast table with Ten and Mark on either side. The omega was laughing at something Johnny said while wiping the sticky substance off of Jisung's hands and face, and the teenager was fully occupied with his phone. Chatter and friendly banter filled the air and it was all so natural that Jaehyun was sure it only made it more obvious that he was hiding something. He couldn't stop thinking about Winwin, who was sitting in the beta's room all by himself with only the walls as company, waiting for Jaehyun to give him the okay to come out. He was doing his best to keep the scent of his uneasiness from filling the air and drawing attention to himself.

But of course, when did anything ever go Jaehyun's way?

"So Jae," Yuta asked, turning away from his conversation with Hansol, "what kept you out so late last night?"

Jaehyun tried to stop the flustered expression that threatened to creep onto his face as all conversation ceased and everyone's attention turned to him. He gave what was no doubt a shaky attempt at a smile as he did all he could to answer without his heartbeat giving him away.

"I uh- I was helping out that old woman. You know, um, the one who sells cakes on the side of the road?"

Technically, it wasn't a total lie. Jaehyun _had_ helped the lady out with packing up her cakes to take back home before it got dark, but that wasn't the sole reason for his tardiness if the omega currently locked up in his room was anything to show for it.

"The one who smells like cats?" Jeno asked.

"And who said Taeyong hyung had a cute butt?" Jaemin questioned, causing him and his twin to break out in fits of giggles. 

"You two stop," Doyoung scolded his brothers, despite the amused grin on his face. "If he was here he'd have both your heads."

Taeyong was the only one who was not a regular attendee at their weekday pack breakfasts, despite being their Head Alpha. His job called for him to leave just as everyone was getting up. This meant typically only Jaehyun and Hansol, who got up the earliest to wake the kids and cook breakfast, were able to wish him farewell. That morning however, by the time Jaehyun woke, Taeyong was nowhere to be found.

Things had gotten strange between the two of them. Actually, Jaehyun thought strange may have been too broad a term to describe the tension he felt when Taeyong's eyes landed on him as he entered the room, or when the two of them stood together alone in the kitchen. It wasn't like things had always been awkward for them. In fact, Jaehyun could confidently say he felt closer to Taeyong than any other pack member. It wasn't too long ago that the beta would swing by Taeyong's workplace with Jisung on his hip, bringing him a lunch that the alpha was no doubt planning on buying something in place of. 

Even though he complained that they distracted him from his work, Jaehyun could see the way his eyes lit up when he looked up from his papers to see them standing at his doorway. And despite having to explain to his coworkers many times that _no,_ they were not together, and thank you but _no_ , Jisung was not theirs, Jaehyun felt them getting closer and closer. He genuinely enjoyed that one hour each week, seeing parts of Taeyong not many got to--like the way he released heavy, noisy breaths every time he was extremely focused on something or how the stress induced crease between his eyebrows would soften when Jisung called his name or how the skin by his eyes crinkled when he laughed hard enough. But as time passed, Taeyong seemed less interested and Jaehyun stopped bothering to go after even Jisung had picked up on it, asking "Why aren't you and Taeyong hyung friends anymore?" It seemed easier to spare the child from the weird vibes than it was explain to him that it wasn't that they weren't friends anymore, but it was more so that Jaehyun wasn't positive how he felt about Taeyong and he sure as hell didn't know how Taeyong felt about him.

"But really, Jaehyun, it took you _that_ long to help an old lady out?" Doyoung inquired. "Are you sure you weren't off doing something shameful and now you're acting like some saint to cover it up?"

The rational part of Jaehyun recognized that Doyoung was completely joking. That Jaehyun could probably just shoot back some witty reply and the whole thing would be laughed off and forgotten. But the other part of Jaehyun, the one that was to blame for fucking most of his shit up, was screaming at him that _they knew, THEY KNEW!_ And now Jaehyun was screwed now they all knew now he would just have to admit that he was hiding some kid omega he had found on the streets now Taeyong would kick Wiwin out-

"Haha Doyoung, he even brought back a cake for you losers and you're going to doubt him for the angel he truly is?"

Ten had clearly seen Jaehyun's inner struggle and jumped to his aid. For the first time in his life he sent up a thank you to the gods for putting the Thai man in his life.

The mention of cake immediately drew everyone's attention away from Jaehyun, and Ten promised all the kids a slice after dinner, but it was now time to go to school.

After a collective chorus of groans from them, Mark, Donghyuck, Jeno, and Jaemin formed into a line of little soldiers. The four of them trudged to the sink, put their dishes in, grabbed their backpacks and slipped their shoes on. Johnny ruffled Jisung's hair while Ten placed a kiss on his forehead, telling him to be good for Jaehyun, and the two headed out, ready to take the kids to school and head to work. Doyoung, Hansol, Yuta, and Taeil also got up to take care of their dishes, talking amongst each other, and just as Kun went to do the same, Jaehyun made his move.

He grabbed the elder's arm and pulled him outside of the kitchen, out of earshot of the others. 

"Kun ge, there's something I need your help with."

•••

After Yuta had finally pulled out of the driveway and Jaehyun had set up some coloring books and turned on a cartoon for Jisung in the living area, Jaehyun led Kun to his room.

"So you're saying you just found him? All alone?" Jaehyun nodded in response.

"Yup. Out in the cold all by himself."

He pushed open his bedroom door to see Winwin right where he had left him on his side of the bed. Except now the boy had a picture book in his hands that had no doubt been left in his room by one of the kids ages ago. The omega's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he studied each picture intensely before turning the page, foregoing bothering with the foreign words and trying to make sense of the story through the pictures only. Jaehyun would definitely add this to the ever growing list of adorable things the boy had done since they had crossed paths. 

"Hey Winwin."

The boy's head snapped up in surprise at his name, but he immediately relaxed at the sight of Jaehyun, offering the older a bright grin he couldn't help but return.

"There's someone I want you to meet. This-" he pulled the Chinese beta to stand out in front of him "-is Kun."

Kun gave Winwin a smile and bowed slightly in greeting before introducing himself to the omega in Mandarin.

Winwin's eyes widened before he was hopping off the bed and running up to them. His mouth was moving a mile a minute and Jaehyun did not understand a word of it, but the boy's excitement was contagious as they made to sit down on his bed and talk. It was then that Jaehyun decided asking Kun to do this was the smartest thing he had done yet, if it meant he got to see Winwin so genuinely happy. 

•••

Jaehyun probably should've learned by then that some otherworldly force was determined to keep his happiness as short lived possible. 

They had only been talking for around an hour and Jaehyun had learned more about Winwin then he ever could have without Kun's help. 

He had found out that he was not as young as he looked, and was actually 19 years old. Winwin was a nickname, and his real name was Dong Si Cheng. He was from Zhejiang, China and had come to Korea only 2 months ago. Winwin told them that he wanted to be a dancer, that he had been dancing since he could walk and that his dream was to continue doing so until he died. He told them about his favorite foods, about the dance academy he attended, about his older sister who was in New Zealand for her studies. Things were going great, and Jaehyun couldn't have been happier to learn all he could about the omega.

He excused himself for a moment to check on Jisung, but encouraged Kun to continue asking questions. 

What he didn't expect to come back to was Kun holding a quietly sobbing Winwin.

The elder had his arms wrapped around the omega, who was shaking as he cried into Kun's shoulder. Jaehyun watched from doorway as the beta began to softly sing a song in Mandarin, while rocking the omega's thin frame. It was a tune Jaehyun had recognized from the beta humming it around the house as he washed the dishes or helped put the kids to sleep. It seemed to have a similar effect on the boy he was now holding, as Winwin's weeping was reduced to sniffles as he listened to Kun's soothing voice. 

"Jaehyun-ah, you don't have to stand out there." 

Jaehyun didn't know when the older had noticed presence. The scene had been so intimate that he didn't want to intrude, so he was surprised when Winwin looked up over Kun's shoulder and with tear stained cheeks gave a watery smile. Jaehyun sat next to the two on the bed and rubbed Winwin's back gently.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. Kun just shook his head and mouthed _later_. Jaehyun nodded in understanding. Clearly he had touched a nerve at some point in his questioning after Jaehyun went to check on Jisung. 

Winwin lifted his head from Kun's shoulder and turned to Jaehyun, saying something in Chinese. Kun chuckled and Jaehyun turned to him for clarification.

"He said that you probably think he's a  
crybaby by now."

Jaehyun just shook his head with a soft smile. He reached out a hand to wipe the drying tears off the boy's face and brush his hair out from his eyes. 

The peaceful silence between the three of them is destroyed by the sound of a cellphone ringing. Kun took a hand off Winwin's back and pulled out his phone, checking the ID.

"Hold on, it's work, I have to take this."

He untangled the omega's limbs from his and went into the hall to take it. He returned only a couple minutes later with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Jaehyun, can you come here?"

Jaehyun sent an apologetic look toward Winwin before he went to meet the older outside of the room. He pulled the door shut behind him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"They said that they're swamped and they need me to come in early," Kun explained. Jaehyun's heart sank but he understood that these things came with being a nurse. He was just disappointed that their conversation with Winwin would be cut short. 

"But Jaehyun, I need you to listen to me," he said, his tone becoming serious, a rare thing when it came to Kun and his gentle nature. "That omega has been through things. He didn't tell me much, but I asked him about his parents and about why he was by himself. His demeanor immediately took a full 180. I'm pretty sure his mom and dad don't know where he is. And I'm not positive that's a bad thing." Jaehyun tried his best to make sense of what the older was saying.

"What do you mean?" He asks. Kun sighed.

"I mean that I think- I'm not sure if Winwin's parents treated him all that... _well._ Now I have to get changed and go, okay? But I promise we can talk to him more when I get back."

And with that, the older dashed up the stairs, leaving Jaehyun with even more questions than ever before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for how late this is ! i hope it doesn't seen rushed, and i hope you guys don't think winwin is just some cry baby lol. we'll find out more about exactly what kun is implying later of course... and maybe finally get an appearance from ty track ?? 
> 
> i'm on tumblr @ winwinism.tumblr.com


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter how many loads of laundry Jaehyun did, he couldn't wash what Kun had told him out of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me just say thank u guys !!
> 
> i didn't ever expect 120+ kudos, so im so thankful to all of you. i read all your comments and they really make me want to do my best on this for all of you.
> 
> also if you didn't see the addition to the tags, as an early warning, this fic will eventually involve polyamory or a threesome. if for some reason you're not cool with that, you may not want to keeping following this fic :/
> 
> i lov you all sm :)

No matter how many loads of laundry Jaehyun did, he couldn't wash what Kun had told him out of his head.

_"I'm pretty sure his mom and dad don't know where he is. And I'm not positive that's a bad thing."_

Something had led the older to believe that Winwin wasn't being treated well back at home. But how could he be sure? He said that Winwin's attitude had completely changed at the mention of his parents. Maybe something had happened to them? The topic of his mom and dad clearly unsettled something inside of him, enough to overwhelm him into tears, so Jaehyun did not want to push for answers regardless of the numerous questions he now had.

After starting the dryer with the final load he decided the next best course of action would be to tell Taeyong. Winwin didn't have anywhere to go, and Jaehyun couldn't hide him forever. Even if the Head Alpha reacted negatively, it wouldn't be as bad as if he found the boy himself. And the elder would have to warm up to him eventually, Jaehyun was sure of it.

Jaehyun knew fretting over the matter would only make him more anxious. He needed to breathe, to get out of the house. He needed to plan out how he could tell Taeyong about Winwin in a way that resulted in as little yelling as possible. 

Despite having gone out the night before to avoid exactly this, Jaehyun found the opportunity to clear his head when he realized he had missed a couple things on his shopping list, no doubt in his hurry to keep from staying out so late (but look how that turned out.) It was only noon, he would be back in a couple hours before the kids got back from school and certainly before anyone returned from work.

He had two obstacles however, named Jisung and Winwin. He couldn't leave the two by themselves in the house. But it would be no problem if he left them _together,_ right? The more Jaehyun thought about it, the more reasonable of an idea it seemed. Jisung was a smart kid, in fact so smart that the beta wasn't exactly sure who would be watching who. And if everything with Taeyong went well, Jisung would have to end up meeting the omega anyway. So it was decided: Jaehyun would run to the store and piece together the best way to tell Taeyong about his little 5'11 secret, and Winwin and Jisung would keep each other out of trouble for the couple of hours he was gone. What could go wrong?

•••

The person in front of Jisung was... perplexing (Jisung knew that was a big word; Daddy had taught him it the day before because Daddy was always teaching him new words. Well, except the ones that him or Paw slipped out when they were mad, and that meant they had to put a dollar in his swear jar). Uncle Jaehyun had told him his name was Winwin, and as far as Jisung knew he was a stranger. His Paw and Daddy and his uncles and even his hyungs had all warned him about strangers. _"Don't talk to strangers, Jisung-ah." "Don't go anywhere with any strange men." "Tell Paw or Daddy if someone makes you feel uncomfortable."_ Jisung liked to think he was a good judge of character, and the stranger in front of him didn't seem so bad. He smelled kind of like Paw in a way Jisung couldn't place. It was nice and warm and it made him feel good inside. But there was only one way for him to be sure of who he was dealing with.

"Do you like Ninja Turtles?"

Winwin looked at the Donatello and Michelangelo action figures that the boy held up in front of him. He grinned and nodded eagerly.

Yeah, Jisung could work with this. 

•••

It was maybe an hour after Uncle Jaehyun had left, and Jisung was having the most fun he had in awhile.

Winwin didn't talk much. In fact, he hadn't said one word in all their time together. But Jisung didn't mind. Not when the older was willing to play anything that he wanted to.

At the moment he was dressed in a large, pink feathered boa and a sparkly blue cowboy hat while Jisung poured him another cup of tea. 

"More tea ma'am?" he asked in his best fancy accent. Winwin giggled and held out his cup. Jisung added two imaginary sugars and adjusted the tie on his neck. It was a wonder how Winwin had fit his long legs under Jisung's play table, but not once did he complain about the squeeze.

Just earlier they had played with his Ninja Turtles together while the cartoon played on TV. Jisung had a feeling Winwin didn't get most of the jokes, but he laughed when the younger laughed and that was still pretty nice. Jisung liked having someone to play with. Daddy and Paw sometimes played with him, but it wasn't the same. Mark and Donghyuck were too busy with schoolwork and each other to entertain him, and Jeno and Jaemin were currently going through what Paw called their "Rebellious Stage", meaning they had found a hobby in causing mischief around the house. Actually Jaemin had, but Jeno was never too far behind anywhere the younger could be found, and not once had he fought against half of the blame for his twins antics being put on him. Jisung got no kick out of watching the two mess things up around the house, except for when Uncle Doyoung caught them and gave his little brothers a piece of his mind. So having someone who didn't mind watching cartoons and having tea parties with him was a welcome change.

Winwin reached across the table for a napkin but Jisung hopped up from his seat.

"No no, ma'am, I've got it!" He insisted, laying a hand on the stack. Winwin just smiled and shook his head, attempting to gently pull them away from the younger. Jisung tugged back. And then so did Winwin.

And then Jisung.

Then Winwin.

Then Jisung.

Then Winwin.

And then Jisung let go and watched as Winwin's eyes flashed with fear as he lost his balance and his chair tipped back from beneath him. In the next second, he was on his back on the floor with his cup of tea-- _actually fruit punch_ \--spilled all across the front of his white shirt. 

Jisung watched with wide eyes as the older slowly sat up. Just as Jisung was about to kiss his moment of fun that had been playtime with Winwin goodbye for good, their eyes met.

They both exploded into laughter.

Winwin pulled off his boa and hat and chased Jisung around the living room. The boy giggled hysterically while Winwin grabbed him from behind and pulled him onto the floor, running his fingers up and down his ribcage as he tickled him breathless. 

"Mercy, _mercy!_ " the boy cried in between shrieks of laughter and gasps of breath.

Jisung couldn't believe it, he was having so much fun. 

So much, in fact, neither him nor Winwin heard the sound of a car pulling up the driveway. 

•••

Taeyong had caught the unknown scent the moment he stepped out of the car.

He had finished all his paperwork and his meeting for the afternoon was cancelled, so he decided to take off early. 

"Good for you, Taeyong," his receptionist, an omega named Baekhyun, had said. "Why not spend a little time with your family?"

"Yeah, and maybe you can take a break from making the rest of us look bad,"  
Minho, the Market Manager for their company, had joked. 

It was no secret that Taeyong took his job as Head of Finances seriously. Breaks and sick days were two things that the alpha didn't even let cross his mind.

"You know you're not some immortal, you can still fall ill," Jaehyun would nag him, "And what will you do when that happens, Mr. Workaholic?"

"You wound me, Jaehyun-ah," He would say with mock offense. "You really think an alpha like yours would ever have to deal with something as measly as a cold?"

And then Taeyong would catch himself. _Yours._ He wasn't Jaehyun's just like the beta wasn't his. What was Taeyong talking about it was things like this that would drive them apart his unnamed feelings and his lack of selfless thought-

But Jaehyun would just laugh. And _Of course he doesn't think you're saying that your his, dumbass, you're the pack's Head Alpha. There's no way he would even think of you in any other way._ This would sooth Taeyong's jitters, while also effectively settling a rock in the pit of his stomach that felt heavier with every flash of Jaehyun's dimples and stupid, perfect smile. 

This was why Taeyong had seemingly shut off his feelings when it came to the other. Yes, he knew he was the reason that the two of them couldn't stand in the same room without things feeling awkward, but he'd rather have that uncomfortable tension than force himself to figure out the puzzle that was his feelings for Jaehyun.

Now he was coming home, expecting to find said beta and little Jisung. But when he arrived he found the younger's car to be missing. With one sniff he identified a scent like none he had ever smelled before lingering in the air.

It was sweet. Indescribably so, and it made Taeyong's mouth water. He could drown in that scent, bathe in it, drink it in for all it was worth. The alpha had never smelled anything so fucking _good._

But before all else, the scent was foreign. It was unknown and it was inside of his home, therefore making whatever it was a threat. Another sniff and he knew Jisung was inside the house. 

Jisung was in the house. Alone. With God knew who.

This realization was enough to snap him out of his lust-induced haze. Now Taeyong was angry. He was furious.

Taeyong liked to pride himself on his self control. It was a necessary characteristic for any Head Alpha if they wanted to lead a successful pack. But never before had he thrown it to the wind like he did when he walked in on a screaming Jisung being held down by an unidentifiable man.

When Taeyong released a snarl, the man's head snapped toward his direction, his eyes wide with surprise. 

In that second, Taeyong knew three things: That this man wasn't a man in front of him at all, but a boy; That said boy was an omega, and was the source of the delicious, thick scent he had picked up outside; And that he was going to beat the shit out of him, adorable baby face and all. 

Before the omega could react to Taeyong in all of his enraged glory, he was ripping him off of Jisung and sending him sliding across the room. He picked him up by the collar of his shirt and slammed him back against the wall. Taeyong could feel Jisung yanking on the leg of his slacks shouting something but none of it registered with him.

"Stop, Jisung. Be quiet and leave the room," he growled, using his Alpha voice. The boy immediately fell silent and stepped back toward the staircase, eyes brimming with tears. Taeyong might have felt bad if not for the current situation, and the fact that it was for his nephew's own good. 

He turned back to face the omega and his breath caught in his throat. He was releasing little puffs of air out of thick, slightly parted lips as his chest rose and fell rapidly. His gaze was half lidded and focused Taeyong, but not completely with fear like he expected. It was more... expectant, as if he was waiting for a blow to come. He was limp, his body showing absolutely no response of defending himself. His hands gripped loosely around Taeyong's wrists where his fists held the boy's collar. And _God,_ he was pretty. So pretty that it took Taeyong's breath away. His pheromones were even stronger now, no doubt due to his initial frightened response to Taeyong, and the appealing scent clouded his head and disrupted all rational thought. 

"Who the hell are you?" he managed.

The omega simply whined, baring his neck in submission. What was his game? Taeyong had clearly found him attacking Jisung, and now he wasn't even going to put up a fight? How did that make sense? Part of it made him even angrier, that he would dare play with Taeyong like this, and it made Taeyong mad with himself that he was letting this happen.

He was pulled out of his thought by the front door being swung open by a panting Jaehyun, who took in the scene with wide eyes for a split moment, before he was running up and pushing Taeyong away from the omega, slipping between them. 

"Taeyong, stop, I can explain this!" he insisted. He reached behind him to take the boy's hand, but his gaze never left the alpha's.

"Jaehyun, what the fuck is this?! _You know him?_ " he asked. This didn't make any sense, Taeyong had never seen the omega in his life. 

"He's uh- I-I found him. I found him and I can explain everything, just calm down, okay?"

Taeyong could have laughed in his face.

"Then do it. Tell me now. Tell me why I just walked in on him holding Jisung down. Tell me why he's still fucking standing in my house." The beta sighed in response. 

"It's a long story."

"Then you better make it quick."


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions were not the easiest thing.

Introductions were not the easiest thing. 

Jaehyun had come to realize this as his pack sat in front of him, staring at Winwin, completely silent. 

Said omega was currently gazing at floor as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen, or more accurately as if that with enough focus he would fall through it and escape from the overwhelming sets of eyes on him. The pack all wore matching expressions, with their jaws practically on the floor (except for Ten and Hansol, who wore similar smug looks on their face, and Kun who just smiled reassuringly. Yuta also looked suspiciously calm about it all, and Jaehyun had a feeling that had something to do with Hansol's big mouth.) Jaehyun was about ready to say something, anything to break the uneasy still of the living room when-

"So he's your boyfriend?"

Jaehyun could feel his ears redden as he spluttered at the question.

"What the h- Donghyuck, no! Where even did you get that from?"

"Well you guys _do_ seem pretty close," Mark commented, snickering with Donghyuck as he gestured toward the two of them.

Jaehyun looked to where he was pointing. Oh. Him and Winwin were holding hands. So _that_ was definitely where Donghyuck got that from. 

"No, Winwin's not my boyfriend. He'll just be staying with us for now, okay? Anymore questions?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Yeah, so Taeyong hyung is cool with all this?" Doyoung asked, eyebrows furrowed. Jaehyun turned around to look at the Head Alpha where he sat on the couch by the fireplace. He was staring at Winwin intently, eyes never leaving him. The glint in them caused the beta to shiver. He quickly looked away and turned back to the pack. 

"Yes, Taeyong hyung is cool with this. Aren't you?"

Jaehyun didn't have to look to know that the alpha's gaze had fallen on him at the mention of his name. He could feel it burning into him, and with a quick glance his thoughts were confirmed. Jaehyun could feel his gut clench and his pheromones threaten to exude and _hey body, can you get your shit together?_

"No, I'm not _cool_ with it. I'm tolerating it for now. But Jaehyun," Taeyong said, rising from his chair, "the very second he steps out of line, he's gone. Do I make myself clear?"

Jaehyun gulped, nodding quickly. With that the alpha walked past him. He froze in his steps right next to Winwin, inhaled deeply, and continued on to what was most likely his office in long strides. 

"But hyung, we're about make dinner!" Ten called after him.

"I have work to do," he replied, and the sound of a door being slammed shut echoed throughout the house. Silence filled the air once more.

"Don't worry Winwin, we promise he doesn't always have a stick up his ass."

"Kim Jaemin! If you don't watch your tongue young man-"

Laughter quickly replaced the silence. Only when he felt Winwin's death grip on his hand soften did Jaehyun join in.

•••

A knock rang out in the hush of Taeyong's office. He could smell who it was clear as day, and he wondered if he ignored him long enough he would just go away.

"No Taeyong, you can ignore me all you want but I'm not leaving."

 _Damn Johnny Seo and his extensive knowledge of all things Taeyong._ He took off his reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing in submission.

"Fine, come in."

The door pushed open and in strode all  
185 cm of alpha. One would have to be blind to not be able to tell Johnny's ranking, as the man emanated it in all that he was. Taeyong remembered their parents words back when the two of them couldn't have been even 6 years old yet, how they knew from the start that Johnny was destined to be an alpha. Back in their high school days, he could recall how  
the omegas and betas would practically swoon at the sight of him laughing in the halls or playing on the basketball court. If you would have told Taeyong at age 16 that one day Johnny would submit to him as his Second and allow him to be the Head Alpha of their pack, he would have laughed in your face. But now their dynamics worked better than ever before, and they trusted each other.

Many packs didn't bother with a Second, as the traditional structures of packs were often ignored nowadays in favor of what worked best for their own dynamics. Often times, having one resulted in the Head Alpha and the Second clashing over territorial issues or just plain dominance. But Taeyong and Johnny had known each other their whole lives, and while they did argue on occasion, nothing ever went unresolved and grudges were never held. Most weeks went by completely peaceful, free of any scuffles between the two.

Apparently this would not be one of those weeks.

"Dude, you need to get your shit together," Johnny said, sitting down across from Taeyong at his desk. His tone and scent were not aggressive, but it still didn't sit right with Taeyong. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding.

"What do you mean?" 

Johnny chuckled, shaking his head.

"What do I mean? Do you not see yourself? It's clear somethings up with you. And my bet is that it has something to do with that omega Jae brought home," he said. Taeyong growled at the mention of Winwin. So what if he was feeling a bit on edge with the new wolf in the house? Sure, Jaehyun had explained how he found him out in the cold by himself, and sure Taeyong felt bad for his circumstances. But there was something about him that the alpha didn't like. He was a stranger, they knew barely anything about him. And most of all, Taeyong hated the way being around the omega made him feel. His scent drove him wild, and Taeyong could feel the lust and hunger bubble up inside when he was around him. But it was also calming. His presence eased Taeyong's wolf in ways no amount of meditation or breathing could. And with Jaehyun and him in the same room, it was strange. Taeyong felt warm, he felt _at home_. And he detested it. He couldn't explain it. It made no sense to him whatsoever and there was little Taeyong loathed more than things he couldn't make sense of.

"I think we should call Joohyun," Johnny said, this time in a softer tone. Taeyong could feel his wolf bristle despite it.

"No. She's still on vacation in Japan for a few more weeks. We're not calling her over something that doesn't even deserve her worry," He replied.

"It does deserve her worry if it could threaten your ability as Head Alpha."

Taeyong rose to his feet, snarling. 

"How dare you insinuate something like that. You think some omega Jaehyun decided to bring home to play house with would actually compromise my judgement? That's ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous Taeyong, and you know it!" Johnny also stood, finger pointed at Taeyong. "You know this isn't you. You know you don't snap like this, you know that _he's_ the reason you're feeling so off. And I know that you know that this exactly how it was with me and Ten."

The two were now leaning over the desk in each other's faces. At the other's words, Taeyong's eyes widened. So that's what Johnny was implying. That's what he thought this whole thing was.

Before he could respond, the door opened. They both looked to see Ten standing there, with his arms crossed and a scowl fixed on his face.

"If you two could be done releasing your alpha stink into the air before you send one of us into heat, that would be nice," he hissed. "And dinner's ready."

With that he turned on his heel and walked back toward the dining room. Johnny faced Taeyong.

"We'll talk more later. Think about what I said." Then he too left to go join the pack at dinner.

Taeyong sunk down into his chair and rubbed his hands over his face. 

What was he to do now?

•••

Jaehyun was praying that somehow the pack would turn into a normal, well behaved family in time for dinner, as not to frighten Winwin too much.

It was dumb of him to think that God would suddenly decide to listen to his prayers. 

"Jeno, ask me to pass the salt again and I swear I'll pour the whole shaker down your throat."

"Yah, Donghyuck! What kind of way is that to talk to a pack member? Apologize, now," Ten instructed while he cut up Jisung's food for him. 

"Sorry Jeno-ah," he said with a forced smile. _"Sorry that you're such a pain in my ass,"_ he added under his breath, causing Mark to nearly spit out his drink.

"And Minhyung, if you don't quit encouraging him! I promise I'll go get your brother and have him set you in line, you know I will."

"Ugh Uncle, I told you to call me Mark!" he groaned, rolling his eyes. Donghyuck watched with admiration on his face. 

"And it's not like hyung is gonna come out here. He's totally locked himself up because of Wonton or whatever his name is," he said, pointing at Winwin, who looked very confused from where he sat across the table. 

"It's _Winwin_ , Mark, don't be a brat. And pointing is rude!" Jaehyun scolded, rubbing Winwin's back comfortingly. 

"Hey Jaehyun-ah, didn't you say he didn't know Korean?" Yuta asked. Jaehyun nodded.

"Well then why don't we teach him? We can tutor him and help him learn," he suggested. 

"Yeah, that's a really good idea, actually," Hansol said. "Like we could rotate each week who teaches him? Would you like that?" He asked Winwin who looked to Jaehyun for clarification. 

Kun piped up and explained the idea to the omega whose smile only grew as the elder explained it. He nodded vigorously, eyes bright with excitement. 

"Oh my god, he's so cute I think I'm going to be sick," Ten muttered to Jaehyun who just laughed in response.

This was... nice. Winwin had noticeably calmed down, and everyone was being tolerable enough toward him. Jaehyun could feel some of his stress lift from his shoulders.

Maybe everything could actually work out better than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha so much to find out.
> 
> what did johnny mean ? how will these lessons go ? why is mark is such an angsty teen ? only time will tell 
> 
> sorry for this taking some time, i've been doing summer work before school starts later this week. you guys are all so awesome and i lov u !!
> 
> btw jaemin's family name is kim because he's doyoung's little brother. the same goes for jeno.
> 
> i'm on tumblr @ winwinism.tumblr.com


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong didn't hate Winwin.

Taeyong didn't hate Winwin.

No matter what anyone thought, he didn't. He just hated what the omega did to him, as would any decent alpha who's self control was constantly being tested. He loathed the fact that Winwin's scent affected him how it did, that he found him nothing short of alluring in every one of his actions.

So Taeyong chose to keep his distance.

If Winwin walked into a room, he avoided it at all costs. Pack move nights were spent with him on the opposite side of the room fighting the urge to let's his eyes drift to Winwin, to take in the omega's pretty features while he watched whatever film was playing with wonder. It was hard, yes, but it was the best way to keep him from doing anything he might regret. Right?

But then Winwin started his Korean lessons. And everything went to shit.

You see, Taeyong could handle dealing with packs who infringed on their territory. He could handle other alphas who dared to stepped out of line, and he could even handle a hormonal 15 year old Mark. What Lee Taeyong could not handle, however, was cute things.

Yes, cute things. Puppies, rainbows, unicorns, the whole shebang. His packs favorite thing to do when they wanted something was to pull out their pouty faces and raise their voice just a couple of octaves while they begged, because they knew he would whip out his wallet at the speed of light if they promised to just _stop_ (Hansol in particular was very good at this, but Donghyuck gave him quite a run for his money.) And maybe the reason for his dislike of all things overly sweet and darling _was_ due to his "fragile alpha masculinity", as Ten liked to call it--but seriously, in his defense, no grown alpha with any dignity liked to get caught cooing over their Nephew's pasta stained cheeks--but the fact of the matter was Taeyong could not stand cute things and the way they made him blush and stutter and cover his face.

And Winwin doing his best to speak to everyone in Korean did exactly that.

"It's part of the learning process," Yuta would explain. "How are you ever going to speak it fluently if you don't test out what you're learning?" Taeyong supposed he couldn't argue with that, as the beta had his own experiences to vouch for it. Still, it didn't mean Taeyong had to like it.

And he didn't. He did _not_ like the way Winwin's face would light up when he formed a whole sentence without a single mistake. He didn't like the way his brows would furrow in frustration when he mispronounced a word and mouthed it to himself over and over until he was satisfied. And he certainly didn't like the way Jaehyun positively _beamed_ with pride at Winwin's linguistic successes. He would simply watch from the kitchen, not wanting to witness the adorable offenses, but unable to look away. Even if part of him desperately wanted to praise the omega and pet his hair back and smother his nose scrunched up from confusion in kisses and-

Nope. Not at all. He didn't want to do any of those things. 

 

Taeyong needed to work on lying to himself better.

•••

Winwin was not scared of Taeyong.

He probably should've been. He was everything he had come to fear: dominant, protective, powerful. But instead, the alpha was more like uncharted territory to him, asking to be explored. A _Do Not Touch_ sign was hung around his neck, making it all the more tempting for him to graze his fingers over the surface despite the warning. Winwin was fascinated with him.

And this was strange for Winwin. The term alpha had always been synonymous with something like terror for him. Something bigger and better than he could ever be. That's what _he_ had taught Winwin, had forced into his mind until it was scripture, until it was sacred and something for him to live by. Not too long ago, Winwin would not even look an alpha in the eye, let alone want to be around one like he longed for with Taeyong.

Taeyong's scent never invoked fear in him. In fact, it was calming, it made him open and warm inside, kind of like how Jaehyun made him feel.

_Jaehyun._

The beta was Winwin's rock. Despite having only lived with him and the rest of the pack for not even a full month, their bond was undeniable. Winwin was thankful for it, for how easy it was to feel okay with Jaehyun. How easy it was to feel secure. 

And with Taeyong's scent lingering in the air of the large house, Winwin would even dare to say he felt _safe._

But he wasn't blind. He saw the way the Head of the pack avoided him. He saw how closed off he was and most of the glimpses he got of him involved his mouth pulled into hard line and eyes that looked everywhere but at him. Taeyong probably saw him as the pitiful, weak thing he was. And while the alpha did not scare him, the possibility of him viewing Winwin like that did. He didn't want to be weak, he was trying so hard. _He_ had always told Winwin that's all he could ever be, weak and useless and someone's thing to play with. He didn't want to be any of those things. Being told something enough made it so easy to believe though.

Surely Taeyong saw him as exactly those things.

The idea of it made Winwin feel cold. Not as cold as _he_ had ever made Winwin feel. He doubted anything could ever have the same effect as his biting words, his swings at ribs that snapped just how he liked, the bruises that formed on his body in the shape of fists and hands. Thoughts of those memories pushed Winwin to a place that Jaehyun had spent far too much of his time pulling him out of, with little explanation asked for in return. And it made Winwin feel like a burden. What could he give Jaehyun in return except tears that weren't meant for him to wipe away? He couldn't even tell Jaehyun about _him_. He didn't want to look weak, like how he had been in the past. Now was his chance to redeem himself, to make up for the cowering and the sobbing and the begging to stop. Winwin would try to be stronger. And then maybe Taeyong would look at him how he often noticed the alpha looking at Jaehyun.

Just maybe.

 

 

Winwin needed to work on reassuring himself better.

•••

Jaehyun had grown used to, almost expectant, of Winwin's morning questions.

For anyone learning a new language, questions were natural. Jaehyun liked to constantly test his developing vocabulary, pointing at things around the house and originally asking him to name them, but as that got too easy, to use them in a sentence. However, the subject of Winwin's queries often had little do with what he was learning. Well, what he was learning _in his lessons_ , that is.

Instead they usually centered around his rapidly increasing knowledge of the people he was now surrounded by on a daily basis. 

So it became somewhat of a game. Winwin would shoot off his list of questions and Jaehyun would do his best to answer them all. Even if the omega didn't completely understand all his responses, he always nodded as if he did.

"Kun ge... here how long?"

"I think almost 2 years now," Jaehyun replied. "He's good at Korean, but he wasn't even half as quick a learner as you."

"Jaemin and Jeno bother you?"

"They bother everyone. It's their twisted version of fun," Jaehyun explained with a laugh.

Winwin smiled for a moment, then ducked his head down. He kicked his feet from his perch where he sat on the kitchen counter, while Jaehyun prepared breakfast before the house woke up that Saturday morning. He immediately took notice of the boys changed demeanor.

"Anything else you want to ask? Only two questions from you is unheard of."

Winwin didn't meet Jaehyun's eyes as the older set down his knife he used to slice up vegetables and approached him.

"Hey, you can ask me anything. You know that right?" 

Winwin just nodded and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out until a few moments later.

"Taeyong hyung... does not like me?"

Oh. 

How was he supposed to answer that?

If Jaehyun was being honest, he couldn't. Not too long ago, Jaehyun didn't even need to ask to know how the alpha was feeling. He could read him like a book, could sketch out every detail of each of his expressions and tell you what they meant. If they taught Taeyong as a subject, Jaehyun would have been top of his class. But now things were different. He had shut himself off from Jaehyun, and his emotions were entirely indecipherable. Of course Taeyong was one of his closest friends, but the brusque conversations they now held were hollow shells of what used to be, and Jaehyun was more bothered by it then he let on. 

Did Taeyong dislike Winwin? Jaehyun couldn't give him a confident answer. But Winwin wasn't going to know that.

"What? No! That's just Taeyong hyung being Taeyong hyung. He's always like that, don't take it personal," he told him in the most reassuring voice he could muster. "Now any other questions?"

Winwin didn't seem too sure about his reply, but did not press the matter. Jaehyun was thankful. 

"Ten hyung?"

"What about him?"

Winwin thought for a moment before asking, no doubt rummaging through his limited vocabulary to formulate the question in a way that made sense.

"... He talks. He talks to alphas. Loud. Alphas say nothing. This is okay?" 

"You're asking if it's okay for Ten to be loud with the alphas?"

Winwin narrowed his eyes, taking the time once again to place his words in a way Jaehyun could understand.

"Alphas are not mad? Betas are not mad? Loud is okay?"

Jaehyun was confused.

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" Normally he could make sense of what Winwin was trying to say pretty quickly. But currently, he wasn't following.

"Ten hyung is omega."

That's when it hit Jaehyun. It wasn't just a slap to the face. It came upon him slowly, it was like he had an inkling the storm was coming, but no idea it would be so earth-shattering. He connected the dots and watched them form the saddest picture possible. 

Winwin was asking if the way Ten talked to alphas was okay. Someone had taught Winwin that omegas couldn't talk to alphas like how Ten did. _Someone had taught Winwin that he wasn't equal to an alpha or a beta._

In that instant, things fell into place.

The way it took him so long to make eye contact with others. How he still refused to do so with either of the alphas. The rigid line his body formed when an argument broke out at the dinner table and Taeyong had to use his alpha voice to calm things back down. His laughter's immediate stop when Ten would playfully hit Johnny. How he watched the interaction play out with wide eyes that would remain full of an unidentifiable emotion, even minutes after it was over.

Jaehyun was brought back to Kun's words.

_"I'm pretty sure his mom and dad don't know where he is. And I'm not positive that's a bad thing."_

Jaehyun gently placed his hands on either side of Winwin's face, pulling it up so they were eye level. 

"Winwin, look at me."

The omega listened immediately, almost too quickly, and Jaehyun fought back a wince at that. 

"I don't care what anyone has told you Winwin. I don't. But I need you to know that you are important. You and Ten. You're both just as important as me, or as Yuta, or Johnny or Taeyong. You don't have to worry, okay? You can say what you want, you can laugh at what you want, you can even do whatever you want for all I care. And nothing bad is going to come of it. I need you to understand that. No one here will... will do anything bad to you, okay? Do you understand?"

Like he always did, the omega nodded. 

Jaehyun could only hope that this time he was being honest.

•••

Yuta hyung was nice.

He had come to help Winwin with his studying almost as much as Jaehyun. He had told the omega that since he'd been in his shoes not too long ago, he wanted to help however he could.

He was patient, guiding him through the textbooks and dictionaries with a smile. It was on days when he had no classes or soccer practice that he would sit with Winwin for an hour or two at a time, never complaining and always glad to keep him company. And Winwin really appreciated it. Honestly, he did. 

But if he had to hear about Hansol's "big, round, gorgeous eyes" _one more time._

Winwin wasn't sure if it had started because the beta thought he couldn't understand, but Yuta often filled up the silence between them with talk of all things Ji Hansol. If that _was_ the case, he wasn't entirely wrong. It was true, when he had first noticed the name coming out of Yuta's mouth nearly every sentence, he didn't completely grasp what he was he saying. In fact, the whining tone behind his words almost made it sound like he wasn't very fond of the older. 

However, as days passed and his comprehension increased, Winwin realized that wasn't the case at all. Who uses "cute" every other word when talking about someone they didn't like? 

He didn't mind it. Not at first. But the more he understood, the more he realized how head over heels Yuta was for Hansol, and the more he realized this the more frustrated Winwin became with the fact that the older absolutely refused to act on it.

"Why you don't... do fun? With Hansol hyung?" He asked one day. 

Yuta stopped mid sentence in surprise, whether at it being one of Winwin's rare responses to his ramblings or at the audacity of the question, Winwin wasn't sure.

"What? I can't just... do fun with him!" he had cried. "For one, I don't even know if he likes me! I couldn't stand that rejection, we literally live in the same house! And what makes you think he'd want to do fun with me? There's probably loads of people he could do fun with that are cooler and funnier and-"

Winwin didn't ask about it again. Besides, wasn't he being kind of a hypocrite when he couldn't even talk to the alpha that took up a great deal of his thoughts? 

So instead, he was forced to sit and listen. This particular day was no different.

"... and today you saw how he accidentally spilled syrup in his lap at breakfast, his face went all pink and it was so _cute!_ I thought I was going to die, Winwin!" Yuta told him. Winwin didn't doubt it, Hansol was easily embarrassed. He had been distracted by other matters at the time of the incident. Specifically Jaehyun's melodic laughter ringing through the air, leaving Winwin without a chance to see Hansol's flushed expression. Not that he was complaining, as getting to watch an appearance of Jaehyun's dimples was very much worth it. 

"And just the other day when we went to the mall with Taeil hyung and Doyoung, this lady mistook us as a couple and guess what? She said we looked good together! Can you believe that? Of course Hansol got all flustered but-"

Yuta's ringtone filled the room. He flashed Winwin an apologetic smile and encouraged him to keep working while he picked it up.

"Hello? Oh hey!" 

He put his hand on the receiver and mouthed _It's him._. Winwin grinned and gave him a thumbs up, watching Yuta practically bounce with excitement. He calmed himself and put the phone back up to his ear.

"What's up? Oh really? Awesome! Right now? Um... sure! No, totally. Yeah, I can be there in like 20 minutes. Okay, see you there!" He hung up the phone and immediately released a squeal.

The words that flew out of Yuta's mouth after that were at a pace beyond that of Winwin's comprehension. Actually, he was almost certain he had heard several lines of Japanese somewhere in there. The older's excitement made everything nearly unintelligible, and it all blurred together into a big mess to Winwin's ears.

He caught a few words, including Hansol's name, "movie theater", and "leaving", as well as "sorry". Using context clues (which involved Yuta running to the doorway to pull on his jacket and shoes), he deduced that the older was going to meet Hansol at the movies. This was great for him and Winwin could practically feel the happiness radiating off of Yuta, but he had a whole page of writing that he needed spell and grammar checked.

"But hyung, my work?"

He was already halfway outside when he shouted "Have Taeyong check it!"

The sound of a door shutting filled the room.

 

Winwin felt like now would be an appropriate time to test out those colorful words the twins had taught him last week.

•••

He had no idea how long he'd been standing outside of Taeyong's office, racking up the courage to knock.

Now that Yuta was gone, Winwin and the alpha were the only ones at home, as everyone else had their own business to attend to and places to be. 

At first, Winwin wasn't going to ask him for help. He would've preferred to just wait for Jaehyun to get back later that day from the park with Doyoung, the twins, and Jisung. Maybe he could even work up the nerve to ask Mark or Donghyuck when they returned from their friends house. Anything would've been better than asking Taeyong, who was no doubt playing into his habit of working from home even on the weekends. 

But the more Winwin thought about him, the more his feet seemed to grow a mind of their own as they carried him toward his office. 

Now he had been standing out there for awhile, papers with Hangul scrawled across them clutched to his chest. 

For all Winwin knew, it could've been an hour that he had been standing there, maybe two-

"You've been out there for five minutes. You're not going to come in?"

Winwin nearly fell over in his surprise. 

_Duh, you idiot! He can smell you through the door!_

Winwin tried to hide the embarrassed flush on his face as he pushed the door open. The scent of the alpha surrounded him on all sides, and it was enough to make Winwin freeze on the spot. The chestnut colored wood floor smelt of him, the silk curtains on the windows, the oil painting on the wall. They were all infused with Taeyong after his long hours and days holed up with only his work as company inside, and it drove Winwin wild.

His body reacted before his mind, and stepped into the room. He needed, he needed so bad. To be around the alpha, his alpha, to let him fill his every sense. It was so calming yet so maddening at the same time, and his wolf whined deep inside him. 

It was only when Taeyong cleared his throat that Winwin's mind cleared, and he blinked slowly, coming to his senses. This time he was helpless to stop the blush as it rose onto his cheeks. 

Taeyong looked impossibly handsome in a button up shirt rolled to his elbows, his hair parted but not slicked back like it so often was for work, and reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He wasn't looking at Winwin, instead down at a stack of paperwork on his desk with his pen poised over the surface. He was visibly holding his breath, no doubt disgusted by the amount of pheromones Winwin had just released. He felt something akin to shame rise up in his gut. There was a silent moment before Taeyong spoke.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Uh... um," Winwin stuttered. He was still rather embarrassed and rarely ever spoke to Taeyong directly, so to do so was extremely nerve wracking for the omega. "My work. Yuta hyung says you check."

Taeyong looked at Winwin over the top of his glasses and the omega began to squirm in attempt to contain his pheromones this time, completely unused to being the target of his burning gaze. 

"I see. Well, I have quite a bit to do at the moment."

Ah, yes. Of course he did. Winwin was stupid to think that Taeyong would actually take time away from his work to help him, especially after he practically stunk up his office. Winwin wasn't even worth any help in the first place. He nodded and turned to leave.

Behind him, he heard a sigh, followed by the alpha's command to "Stop."

"Just bring it here."

Winwin shook his head. "It's okay." He didn't want to bother him anymore than he already had.

"I said bring it here."

Winwin turned and hesitantly brought his papers over and placed them in the alpha's hand. He stood there as Taeyong's eyes grazed over them. He looked up at Winwin.

"You can sit down, you know," he said, gesturing to the chair that sat at the side of the room. Winwin rushed to take a seat. He patiently waited as the older read through his writing. Winwin gazed curiously around the room, taking in his surroundings. 

It was cleanly decorated, most likely by Hansol or Ten, as Winwin had come to find that most rooms in the house were. Everything was neat and in order, from the surface of his desk to the fully stocked bookshelf in the corner. There was not a speck of dust in sight, and Winwin felt oddly out of place in such a faultless room. He saw himself fitting in a similar way into Taeyong's life, like a single obvious imperfection on a clean surface. Winwin didn't want to be that, not at all. 

He noticed several picture frames place on one shelf, and his curiosity got the better of him. Winwin got up and approached it, admiring all of the photos. Most were group pictures of the pack, all smiles and laughter. There were some older ones of Taeyong and Johnny, all appearing to be much younger and with dreadful haircuts, throwing up peace signs and grins. Winwin fought back a giggle at the sight. 

His eyes landed on one picture that struck something in him. In it was a seated Taeyong with an extremely pretty woman standing behind him, her long hair draped down as her chin rested on his shoulder. Both looked to be the epitome of happiness, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as they smiled so genuinely for the camera.

Winwin had come to know the beautiful girl who made an appearance in most of their pack photos, as Joohyun. 

Jaehyun had told Winwin about Joohyun about a week after he had come to stay with them, when he finally felt comfortable enough to ask who she was after seeing her face all over the walls of the house.

Joohyun was Jaehyun's older sister, but with their 7 year age difference and their past, she was more like a mom. She was the pack Emissary. Winwin's mother had been theirs, so he held quite an extensive knowledge about them. 

Emissaries were those not granted with the power of the wolf, but instead with a different kind of magic in their veins. One was born in each generation of a pack. Their abilities would manifest around the age that wolves began presenting, and they would immediately feel a connection with the members of their pack, whether it be the one they were born into or one half way around the world. Emissaries did not pick the pack they were meant for, as it was a natural thing that could not be explained by anything but intuition and feeling. Their job was to keep the wolves safe, to heal them and care for them through the use of their abilities. They developed an extensive knowledge of all spells and creatures, from humans to wolves to demons in order to aid their pack. They knew each member of their pack on an intimate level, down to the workings of their minds. 

Joohyun was how Jaehyun had ended up with Taeyong's group. It had been only the two of them, and when her powers presented Jaehyun had been young, merely 8 years old. Taeyong himself had not even presented as an alpha, but Joohyun could feel her connection with him and the other pack members despite this. Jaehyun told Winwin the way she experienced all that they felt, how she would be overly giddy when Taeil had his first kiss, or when the twins were born. Some nights she would sob and just hold Jaehyun, like when Doyoung had to bury his family dog, or when Taeyong and Mark's parents had died. She felt it all, saw it all, their heartbreak and happiness. She knew things before they could ever be conceived into one's thought, this being the reason why everyone had long since quit putting bets against her on things that were going to happen (specifically after she won $100 from Hansol over whether Ten and Johnny would have a boy or a girl.) She was currently on a trip to Japan for a couple months, and would returning soon. Everyone missed her deeply, and it was clear to see.

In fewer words, she was almost like a mother figure to the pack, and if she was anything like her brother, Winwin was confident that she was a wonderful person, and that they were all in good hands. But looking at this picture, he couldn't stop the ugly feelings that settled under his skin. The way Taeyong smiled in it was so bright and genuine, and Winwin knew that he would never be on the receiving end of it. He was jealous, and he absolutely hated how it made him feel. Why would Taeyong want him when he could have someone as pretty and caring as Joohyun? Winwin felt extremely inadequate in that moment, wishing that he could be important and essential to their pack, instead of some unwanted anchor that only dragged them all down.

Suddenly Taeyong let out a snort, pulling him from his thoughts. What was funny? Had he misspelled something? Used a wrong word? It made Winwin feel anxious. What if Taeyong probably thought he was an idiot now?

"Uh, Winwin?" he called, sitting the papers on the desk. The omega walked over to stand behind Taeyong so that he could see his work clearly, but more so that he would not notice the embarrassment on Winwin's face.

"Yes?" Winwin asked.

"This sentence, right here," he said, circling it. "I uh- Well, I understand most of your writing. Actually, it's pretty much all right. But here, I think you meant to say 'Take the medicine', am I correct?"

Winwin nodded. It was one of his translations he did every week, his workbook having a different theme each time. Most were rather childish, like "Dinner Time", or "When it Rains" with a simple passage he had to translate into Korean, but Winwin didn't mind as they were very helpful. This particular one was about "Morning Routines", and he had felt pretty confident in his work, clearly wrongfully so.

"Well you see, um... this isn't the word for medicine. Instead you wrote, uh..." Taeyong tried to explain. "Essentially you wrote, "Eat shit.'" 

Winwin's eyes widened. That was one of those bad words Jaemin and Jeno had taught him last week. How could he have mixed them up? 

There was a pregnant pause as Taeyong and him made eye contact. It was as if time had stood still. 

And then Taeyong broke into a laugh. 

It took a second for Winwin to get over the initial shock of it, the older's laughter a completely unfamiliar sound. But it had a soothing effect on Winwin. It made him feel warm inside, it gave him butterflies that spread out to his whole being.

So then Winwin started giggling too. 

And that turned into full out laughter, which turned into gut-busting, side-splitting, on the floor cackling, as Taeyong and Winwin fell over themselves in amusement. 

It was a couple minutes later that it finally subsided, while they caught their breath and wiped tears from their eyes. Winwin was attempting to get up from where he had toppled over in his fit, patting down his hair and straightening out his clothing. 

Suddenly there was a hand on his head, and he looked up to see Taeyong smiling softly at him, his eyes displaying an unreadable emotion.

"But really, you did a good job Winwin. You translated very well."

Winwin did not fight his wolf's urge to preen at the praise, nor did he pull away from the hand running through his hair. 

He wasn't so jealous anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys don't hate me too much :((
> 
> i know how late this is, but school is absolutely kicking my ass to the moon ! i'm taking quite a few ap classes, and im president of my club, and i have a shitload of responsibilities that call for my attention like all the time. but i didn't forget about the fic, trust me, i thought about it every day. i went thru a period of writers block as well, but now im pretty pleased with how this chapter came out 
> 
> but now here this is ! thank you everyone who still stuck with me even after that period of neglect lol, i love u all nd i hope u like this update <33
> 
> also just an FYI: joohyun is in fact the same joohyun (irene) of red velvet. i love her a lot and i love her character in this fic, im sure u guys will too
> 
> im on tumblr at 171cmjisung.tumblr.com
> 
> (also who's ready for nct dream !!!!???!!?)


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